Thursday, November 24, 2011

Hodad's (Ocean Beach location)

(Visited on November 19)

Alaska Airlines Flight 232 from Seattle to San Diego landed on time at 9:15 am. We disembarked, collected our bag and took the shuttle to the car rental lot. We're in town to visit my sister-in-law for her birthday and Thanksgiving.

We didn't head south to Sis's place; we headed north on I-5, then west on I-8 toward OceanBeach. We were on a mission.

We hadn't been to OB for years, many, many years; the place holds memories.

We had last been to the San Diego area to visit Sis in January, and in that time we had seen this profile on TV about a hamburger joint in OB called "Hodad's"; we were intrigued.

Hodad: noun - A non-surfer who spends time at beaches masquerading as a surfer. (See also poser)

We found it on Newport Avenue, just west of Bacon Street and parked in the adjoining lot. It was about 10:50 am; they open at 11:00. We walked up the sidewalk and got in line; evidently there's almost always a line. Eleven am came and went and the line hadn't moved...OB time.

Standing on-line

We entered a few minutes after 11:00 and had our choice of booths, a long communal table with benches, two counters, one in back and one in front overlooking Newport Avenue, or the cab of a VW bus that is sticking out of the wall. We selected a booth.

There are surf boards suspended from the ceiling, a bicycle hanging from one wall, and personalized license plates and other cool stuff (mostly the license plates) adorning almost every square inch of wall space. They claim to have served “Under 99 Gazillion” burgers; who am I to question that? There's a sign on the wall proclaiming, "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem!"

I ordered a PBR and my wife ordered a Stella. I asked our "server dude" if I would be able to wrap my mouth around the Double Bacon Cheeseburger, "Oh yeah, no problem!" I ordered the Double Bacon Cheeseburger Basket while my wife ordered the Mini-Cheeseburger Basket (the basket comes with fries, but you probably already guessed that). We ordered a small order of Onion Rings as well.

Onion Rings

The beers came first, then the Onion Rings...excellent! Some of the best rings I can remember ever having! When the burger baskets came, the first thing I noticed was that the "server dude" had lied...there was no way I was going to be able to wrap my mouth around that burger! I called him on it, in a joking way of course...I understood there was no way he would be able to say a negative word about his burger. I sucked it up, and enjoyed every messy bite!

Double Bacon Cheeseburger Basket

The fries were excellent, the onion rings, better still, and the burgers...superb. And plentiful; there was no shortage of food. In fact, we were unable to finish the fries and onion rings because the burgers filled us up so. We really had our hands full; that's the closest I've ever come to being unable to finish a burger, double or otherwise.

Now, to the ranking. Our burgers were definitely “Worth the trip” on my three tier scale of “Worth the trip”, “Worth a stop” and “Drive on by”. Check 'em out, it's a good time, and I can't imagine anyone being disappointed. If you don't like standing in line, get there early...like we did!

Hodad's "flagship location" is at 5010 Newport Avenue in Ocean Beach, CA and they can be reached at 619-224-4623. They also now have a store in downtown San Diego at 945 Broadway Avenue, and they can be reached at 619-234-6323; the hours of operation at both locations are Sun – Thurs: 11AM to 9PM and Fri – Sat: 11AM to 10PM. You can see them online at http://hodadies.com.

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Your Burger Guide

One of my favorite things in this world is a good burger. From well crafted sliders to inspired gourmet creations, burgers are one of my favorite foods.

This blog is where I share with you my quest for the "Ultimate Burger", nirvana on a bun, if you will. Oddly enough, this is a quest I expect to go unfulfilled, for what, after all, is the "Ultimate Burger"? How will I know it when I bite into it? Should I attain this most elusive of treasures and declare my quest complete, how will I know there's not an "Ultimater" (sic) burger just down the road? And, what's "ultimate" to me may be just middlin' to you.

No, as quests go, the treasure here will be not so much in the finding, but in the searching. The searching, and the sharing of what I have found.

Let it be known that I'm skeptical of assertions claiming one burger or burger joint to be "The Best in Town", "The Best in the County", "The Best Here" or "The Best There". I'm sorry, but, "Sez who?"

To my mind "the best" is not only a very subjective title, it's a moving target as well. It all depends on who you're talking to, where they're from and what their frame of mind happens to be at that moment. And, one burger joint may produce the most ultimate of burgers one day, and then just phone in a mediocre burger simulacrum the next.

No, I'll not tell you something is "the best". I will, however, tell you what I like and whether or not I think it's worth a trip, worth a stop or whether you should not bother and just drive on by.

I would like this blog to be interactive, so if you have comments or recommendations, please leave a comment. If you're not comfortable sharing your thoughts in a public forum, my e-mail address is also available.